I would like to create an effect where when a guitar player is playing really really fast up and down the neck, that it can look like sparks are flying off. Is this possible in Vegas? (I have little to no experience creating effects) If there's something simple I can do, I'll give it ago. If it's next to impossible, I won't go for it.......

This isn't really something I've done at all, but I've heard that people have had good results with an inexpensive efx package called effectslab from fxhome.com.

Thanks for that link, I'll check it out...

I have no experience with Effects Lab but having looked at the website it looks pretty good (don't they always?).

For a comparable price but with a more specific focus on particle generation you may also want to take a look at Particle Illusion. Both products have lite versions around the $100 mark, both will do sparks and both look reasonably straightforward to use.

http://www.wondertouch.com/

My background is in 3dvfx, so my instinct is to recommend that this isn't trivial! But there may be some off-the-shelf effects which get you 70% of the way there, which may be enough for what you're doing...

Only low-end stock program that I ever saw that was worth a damn was particle illusion, but it's 2d only .. probably fine for what you described. maybe it's 3d now. I'm out of the loop since I quit the fx industry a little while back.

Kris